Creative Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08

The Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08 is the first keyboard from Creative and features OMRON mechanical switches, full 16.8M RGB backlighting, dedicated media and macro buttons, and a USB pass-through port. The hardware is supported by their Sound Blaster Connect software driver for lighting customization and performance tweaking.

This past Monday was a pretty big day for natural phenomena. If you have been reading any sort of news, you probably know this it was the day of a total solar eclipse visible across parts of North America. For your information, solar eclipses actually happen several times per year. However, not all of them are total eclipses, and even rarer is the fact they are not always visible in North America. The last total solar eclipse with its Path of Totality passing through continental United States occurred in 1979, which is before all of the staff on APH Networks were born. As for myself, our workplace and the other tenants in the building all gathered in the parking lot to eat mango slices and look at the sun with specifically made viewing glasses and pinhole projectors. On an aside, the mango slices were quite random, and I was confused as to why they were being served. Either way, just to see the sun become slightly covered was a pretty neat sight. Even Facebook reported there were more people talking about the solar eclipse compared to the last four Super Bowls. Personally, I think the pure rarity of this event makes people really want to turn their eyes to the sky. On the other hand, today we have a relatively common, unnatural event here at APH Networks. We have a new product from a new company in the form of the Creative Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08. Of course, Creative is not exactly a new company, but this is the first product we have received from them since the existence of this website. Furthermore, this is also Creative's first shot at the gaming peripheral market. They are definitely the veteran in the audio industry, but how will they fare with their first mechanical keyboard? Is there anything that separates this one from the rest? Read on to find out!

The Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08 is the first keyboard from Creative and features OMRON mechanical switches, full 16.8M RGB backlighting, dedicated media and macro buttons, and a USB pass-through port. The hardware is supported by their Sound Blaster Connect software driver for lighting customization and performance tweaking.

Creative is still first and foremost an audio company, with a wide range of sound cards, speakers, and headphones. Its Sound Blaster line has long been synonymous with audio products, but that isn’t quite the case anymore. The Singapore company has now released its first ever keyboard and mouse under the Sound BlasterX name, a …

A keyboard packed with great features, stymied by a few less wonderful ones

Forming the final part of the desktop peripheral invasion, Creative send forth the Vanguard K08; with its custom Omron 'PRES' mechanical switches, 'Aurora' lighting, and dedicated macros, can Creative win the battle against the competition?